life is tough enough
and lovely enough
that having to Hurry
through it is a screaming
shame. I remember being
led into a simple hut
in a Peruvian rainforest
and introduced to
a family, all wearing
something like loincloths,
a fool might call them
them poor, but they
fished together
and stayed together
said the tour guide,
she added that they
woke up when
Nature told
them to, not an alarm
clock.
and I still can see
those beaming smiles
and pudgy brown
bodies in my mind
driven mad many times
by the West’s “progress.”
They handed me a big
urn of something that
the tour lady warned me
was quite strong, and
she wasn’t kidding.
I took a mouthful then
I handed it back to
the dad who passed
it to one of the kids
About 9 or 10
years old
who took a big swig
that put mine to shame.
then they had a healthy
laugh. And we had to
go, the tour lady had a
schedule to keep, and
so did I, and that was
my downfall, and probably
hers too.
–fb